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Because there is nothing cooler hanging over your shoulder than a folded stocked Galil.

I wanted one because:

* They look great
* They have a great reputation as to durability and reliability
* They are (and always have been by comparasion to other guns at any time) fairly expensive (not everyone and their brother has one (like ARs)).

I'm talking IMI Galil, not the clones. I'm not a snob, I have a Century Cetme, but no matter what, it will always be a clone and not a real MARS Cetme.

It was hard to pick from the listed reasons, because to me it was all of them. I chose performance though. Mainly due to you have AK reliability with a more accurate round and longer barrel and stiffer receiver (compared to stamped) and better iron sights. To me it has the best of the AK and AR combined.

Some will complain about the weight, but honestly it's never bothered me. I'm used to heavier guns anyway, FAL, G3, Hakim, etc. Besides I'm not going to be humping it across the mountains (house to the car-car to the range), that's about it.

I love the lines, don't get me wrong. I bought my first one 20 years ago after doing some research on them. I'm a guy that expects mechanical things to work and to work even when I don't take care of them absolutely perfectly, or they get dirty or whatever. In a weapon, for me, that's the Galil. It's accurate enough, dependable and tough. What more could you want?

"I was rather hostile to a reduced calibre being used by us. Even now, I am still convinced that the 7.62 is the best" M. Kalashnikov

According to rifle programs on the Military Channel the AK47 is the number one best Infantry Weapon in the World. Voted by experts. Galil arrived in Israel via Finland, who had a license from the Russians to make and manufacture copies. I think their Valmet was the father of the Galil which the IDF needed to replace their FNs or something that didn't function well in the desert sands where the arabs were and who used rather trouble free AK47s. It is reported that Galils served Israel well after obtaining them. But the avail-ability of US M16s at bargain prices from the US Government which were lighter to carry and pretty trouble free when kept cleaned made the Galil perhaps obsolete in the IDF. So they were sold as surplus. Sadly,some parts sold in the US as kits were thrown together haphazardly with many faults and are known as Golanis, There are some expert gunsmiths in the US who can take one of the thrown together Golanis and make it into a real Galil style rifle and one to be proud of. Sometimes the haphazard factory put one out that is a great shooter. I have one. For accuracy, I prefer my Golani/Galil, for lightness, my AR-M4, and for reliability my AK47 semi...

When I was a teenager I did a lot of reading and research on rifles that at the time I could not afford. I created a spreadsheet of rifles with their pros & cons and features. Once I had it on paper like that, the Galil really stood out. I already had owned an AK and I had friends who owned ARs. The only downside I saw to the Galil was its weight and possibly magazine and spare parts availability (this was back around 1990). So I scrapped and saved and I bought one when I was 19. I immediately loved it and it has been my primary coyote hunting rifle for 16 years now.

Reliability has always been the first priority for me. I don't expect that I will ever find myself in a life or death situation with my rifle, but really what is the point of owning military rifles and using them for sport if you don't have some weird obsession with ultimate functionality under all conditions? The AR family of weapons is not dependable. I know a lot of people will argue saying if you do this or that and if you keep them maintained, bla bla bla. I owned a pre-ban Colt and it was not dependable. The dictionary definition of dependable is "reliable and worthy of trust". If I happen to fall into a bog while hunting and come out covered with mud and I had my rifle slung over my back, could I trust it to function? Yes, because it is a Galil.

I was fortunate enough last year to be able to buy a SIG 556 Classic. That rifle is, in my opinion, the highest evolution of the Kalashnikov design. I think it, and the Galil, are actually more dependable than the original AK. I won't go into the details why that is, but there were design considerations that took the obsession with reliability to even higher levels on these two rifles. in the case of the SIG, it is also one of (if not the most) accurate 5.56 assault rifles. It has many advantages over the Galil: improved accuracy, lighter weight, more easily accepts standard M16 mags, better scope mounting, better ergonomics. Even so, with it in the safe side by side with the Galil ARM, I cannot choose which I prefer. It really depends on the day of the week. There is just something special about the "feel" of the Galil.

I pride myself on making decisions based on function rather than form, but I have to admit that my initial attraction to the Galil was aesthetic. I've always been fascinated by military weapons since I found a rusted Garand near the Sunabe Sea Wall in Okinawa back in the late '60s, when I was 5.

For a long time, my eventual goal was to own an AR (because during Vietnam the M-16 was everywhere, and at the time it was the coolest, most futuristic rifle around). In the mid '70s I was looking through books on military rifles, and I came across a picture of a Galil ARM. Instantly I wanted one. Nothing else in all the books looked anywhere near as cool.

I read the article in that book on them, which went into a good bit of detail on the process Israel went through testing other weapons, and why they chose to develop the Galil, and my preference for function was satisfied as well. So, as soon as I was old enough, and had saved enough money, I bought my first Magnum Research 372 brand new in California (when you could still walk into a gun store there and see every type of "assault rifle" you could want), and I haven't looked back since.

When I was a teenager I did a lot of reading and research on rifles that at the time I could not afford. I created a spreadsheet of rifles with their pros & cons and features. Once I had it on paper like that, the Galil really stood out. I already had owned an AK and I had friends who owned ARs. The only downside I saw to the Galil was its weight and possibly magazine and spare parts availability (this was back around 1990).

That is a similar story to mine. As a teenager I read every gun magazine under the sun, and I always enjoyed the assault rifle comparison articles. At the time it seemed to me that the Gali won every one. I recall fonding a Galil at the Syracuse gun show and thereafter wishing I owned one. But I started shooting NRA Highpower rifle, and instead I fell into Garand's and M1A's, which eventualy evolved into shooting AR's, but I still wanted a Galil. I have to admit that I am more comfortable with the AR-15, probably because I competed with one for about 10 years.
I had given up hope on every owning a Galil that I shot a lot, because even if I got one I figured mags would be an issue. It was only recently that I found out about Century Arms Galils, and then I noticed that mags were plentiful, then a few weeks later a buddy of mine just happens to have his Golani up for sale.

The Galil design is now over 30 years old.
Since being first issued it has only had a few minor modifications.
The M16/AR15 is roughly the same age.
How many major mods has the AR15/M16 had?
The Galils were right to start with- no "Oh, crap we should have done it this way" scenarios.
The Galil sets next to pretty distinguished company in my book.
FAL, Browning 1919 and .50, Colt .45 and of course the AK.
If you look at what is being used in far away places by guys and gals that depend on their stuff working you'll see the ones above - a lot!
Yes, you'll see the M16 but usually only where the US is trying to buy friends.
The main reason the Israelis went with the M16 was simple economics.
The M16s were free and they had to pay for the Galils, FAL, etc.

My reasons-
1) Way cool factor- i'm the only guy at the range with one.
The AR crowd spends a lot more and hits a lot less than i do.
2) If i run 500 rounds through it and "forget" to clean up it's still going to run
great. Try that with an AR15.
3) Weight isn't an issue- safe/truck, range/truck, back to safe.
Besides, my POF AR with the goodies weighs the same or
more than my ARM.
4) Besides, in an end of the world scenario only 4 things will still be here.
Politicians
Cockroaches
Twinkies
Galils

The Galil design is now over 30 years old.
Since being first issued it has only had a few minor modifications.
The M16/AR15 is roughly the same age.
How many major mods has the AR15/M16 had?
The Galils were right to start with- no "Oh, crap we should have done it this way" scenarios.
The Galil sets next to pretty distinguished company in my book.
FAL, Browning 1919 and .50, Colt .45 and of course the AK.
If you look at what is being used in far away places by guys and gals that depend on their stuff working you'll see the ones above - a lot!
Yes, you'll see the M16 but usually only where the US is trying to buy friends.
The main reason the Israelis went with the M16 was simple economics.
The M16s were free and they had to pay for the Galils, FAL, etc.

My reasons-
1) Way cool factor- i'm the only guy at the range with one.
The AR crowd spends a lot more and hits a lot less than i do.
2) If i run 500 rounds through it and "forget" to clean up it's still going to run
great. Try that with an AR15.
3) Weight isn't an issue- safe/truck, range/truck, back to safe.
Besides, my POF AR with the goodies weighs the same or
more than my ARM.
4) Besides, in an end of the world scenario only 4 things will still be here.
Politicians
Cockroaches
Twinkies
Galils

For me I would have to say performance is the main reason. I want something that will work even if I forget to clean it, and can handle any type of ammo I choose to fire. For me ammo types was a big part of it, I don't want to be restricted to just using brass cased. Steel is a lot cheaper but ARs just don't have the ability to function with it.

I have to admit, I have thought about rolling the dice on a Golani and "save" my IMI Galil. But I quickly came to my senses and realized---why? My Galil is going to FAR outlast me, and I'd just be keeping it pristine for the next owner. I do have kids, and if possible I will hand it down (along with other toys), but in all reality it will have more "meaning" to them if there are worn spots and perhaps some scratches that "dad" put on it. Or, in worse case, they don't want it/them and my wife is forced to get rid of my stuff (in which I know she will get royally screwed on value).

Nope, no clone for me! I take care of my stuff and donít abuse them, and I'll be damned if I'm going to "save it" just so down the road someone else get a near new looking rifle. Hopefully my kids will get them, and I know they will be happy with whatever condition they are in.

I have to admit, I have thought about rolling the dice on a Golani and "save" my IMI Galil. But I quickly came to my senses and realized---why? My Galil is going to FAR outlast me, and I'd just be keeping it pristine for the next owner. I do have kids, and if possible I will hand it down (along with other toys), but in all reality it will have more "meaning" to them if there are worn spots and perhaps some scratches that "dad" put on it. Or, in worse case, they don't want it/them and my wife is forced to get rid of my stuff (in which I know she will get royally screwed on value).

Nope, no clone for me! I take care of my stuff and donít abuse them, and I'll be damned if I'm going to "save it" just so down the road someone else get a near new looking rifle. Hopefully my kids will get them, and I know they will be happy with whatever condition they are in.